Introduction to Sustainability in Business

Programme Overview

“There is no company whose business model won’t be profoundly affected by the transition to a net zero economy. As the transition accelerates, companies with a well-articulated long-term strategy, and a clear plan to address the transition to net zero, will distinguish themselves” Larry Fink, Blackrock Investments

Concerns over environmental sustainability and a growing public and consumer awareness of climate change are pushing businesses to place sustainability at the centre of their business strategy, operations and decision-making. International frameworks such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations Paris Agreement, the EU Green Deal and EU “Fit for 55” packages place significant incentives on business to scale up their response to sustainability challenges. In addition, the forthcoming Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will mandate a set of sustainability related reporting standards for all large corporations. Companies need to embed sustainability thinking in the way different people across the business do their jobs including general awareness raising and leadership development, as well as tailored programmes targeted to specific business functions.

Entry Requirements

Participants must:

• Be at least 21 years of age by the date of commencement of the programme;
• Hold a Leaving Certificate or QQI Level 5 qualification (or equivalent qualification);
• Have a minimum of 1 year’s professional experience in a business environment or currently work on a project team or hold a project administrator / junior project manager role.
• Be based Ireland to be eligible for Skillnet Ireland funding.
• Please note, due to limited available space, Waterford Chamber Skillnet may interview applicants prior to spaces being allocated.

Why do this course?

This programme will demystify key sustainability concepts and provide participants with an in-depth understanding of why sustainability is now a critical issue for all businesses (people, planet and profit). The course will explore key issues for sustainability in business, identify which issues to prioritise, and identify sustainability KPIs for their business (scorecard) which can be used for ESG and sustainability reporting. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be used as lens in which to frame sustainability in the company.

The programme enable students to root their learning in their jobs and companies through the use of case studies. Peer-to-peer learning from, and the development of an on-going support network, of like-minded sustainability champions and professionals is a key value-added of the course. University College Cork itself will act as a living laboratory of sustainability in action.

Each participant will undertake an assignment where they will map their organisation to the UN SDGs, conduct an in-company materiality assessment, and develop metrics for a sustainability scorecard benchmarked against similar companies in their sector.

Topics and course content

• Understanding and responding to the sustainability challenge
• What it means to be a sustainable business (key concepts and frameworks)
• SDGs and Business (incl SDGs game)
• Net zero: decarbonising business
• The circular business
• Nature positive organisation
• Social-ethical responsibility of business
• Stakeholder engagement and materiality
• ESG reporting
• Sustainability scorecard

Who should take this course

This course is ideal for:

• Professionals and mid-level managers within industry who wish to take a greater leadership role in their company’s sustainability programmes
• Managers and owners of businesses who wish to get started on their company’s sustainability journey
• Company staff who wish to enhance their knowledge on sustainability issues and how to respond to them within their organisation

Learning Outcomes

On completing this programme participants will:

• Understand the context of the sustainability challenge and need for a comprehensive strategic response from their company
• Identify the relevant sustainability issues and stakeholders for their company through the lens of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Materiality Matrix.
• Understand the how to assess Scope, 1,2 and 3 emissions and pathways for decarbonisation towards zero-carbon.
• Be aware of circular economy business models and potential opportunities for closing the loop on resource inputs and outputs in the company.
• Have an understanding of the social responsibility of business to people and nature
• Be aware of relevant ESG reporting standards and ratings and how they apply to their organisation
• Have mapped their organisation to UN SDGs, carried out a materiality assessment, and develop a sustainability scorecard for their organisation

Teaching approach

The lead instructors for this course will be Dr Paul Bolger and Prof Valeria Andreoni. Facilitated peer-to-peer learning will be led by Tanya Fitzgerald. The programme will draw on the deep domain expertise of academics from across science, engineering, business and social sciences based with UCC’s Environmental Research Institute (ERI) for relevant topics in areas such as decarbonisation, circular economy, biodiversity, and ESG, and marketing.

The course will use a blend of self-learning and peer-learning between participants. The leaners will be encouraged to reflect on how the course material could be applied to their work and their organisation. Each session will include an opportunity for discussion and reflection. Participants will directed to pre-reading before the course, and will be given resources and reading on completion of the workshop. A certificate of course completion will be issued by UCC

Lead Trainer

Dr Paul Bolger is manager of the Environmental Research Institute at University College Cork, Ireland which brings together over 500 researchers to work on sustainability research using interdisciplinary approaches. With a PhD in Environmental Chemistry and an MBA in Business, Paul has worked across academia, industry and government for over 25 years developing long term research solutions for global sustainability challenges. Paul teaches on Leadership for Sustainability on the HDip for Sustainability in Enterprise at UCC. He is a PI on the UCC Sustainable Futures programme which is focused on education and training for climate action, environmental sustainability, and achieving net zero in industry and enterprise. Paul has delivered a wide range of education and training workshops to industry on sustainability.

Lead Contributor

Professor Valeria Andreoni is AIB Professor in Sustainable Business at University College Cork and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK). She holds a PhD in Economics from University of Bologna (Italy) and a Master in Ecological Economics and Environmental Management from Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain). Her expertise focuses on Ecological Economics, Energy Economics and Degrowth. She is author of peer-reviewed papers and European Commission reports. Prior to her academic appointments, she has been working for the Joint Research Center of European Commission and for the EuroMediterranean Center on Climate Change.

Course Facilitator

Tanya Fitzgerald has significant experience working in the area of education and training for Sustainability. In her role as Enterprise Liaison Officer with the Sustainable Futures Project, UCC, Tanya works closely with enterprise partners to understand the skills and competencies required by industry in the transition to a more sustainable society. In addition to this, she has also worked on the design, development and delivery of a number of industry focused Sustainability Training programmes in addition to programmes focused on Sustainability from a community perspective. Tanya regularly facilitates working group sessions, focus groups and in-depth interviews with industry stakeholders and learners in an effort to design and deliver courses that directly address industry needs.